Chelsea send Napoli decisive transfer ultimatum as Victor Osimhen green light clear

Chelsea and Napoli are expected to be involved in intense transfer talks for the remaining three weeks of the summer transfer window. Romelu Lukaku and Victor Osimhen could both be involved in major moves before the window closes on August 30.

On Saturday, Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna confirmed that Osimhen has handed in a transfer request to leave this summer. The Nigeria international was left out of Antonio Conte's matchday squad for their Coppa Italia win over Modeona on Saturday.

“He asked to leave." Manna continued: "We are calm because we have players in the squad who can replace him in the best way. However, we do not want to harm the integrity of the group and want to preserve it. We will see what will happen in the next few days.”

Osimhen has been expected to depart Napoli for some time but no club has stepped forward with a serious offer. Chelsea have been tracking him for some time, as have Paris Saint-Germain. Now, with the window closing in on its deadline, a move is more likely to happen.

One thing that could help Enzo Maresca's bid to sign Osimhen is the future of Lukaku. The striker is currently training with the Under-21s at Cobham after returning from his loan spell at AS Roma and hasn't featured in pre-season.

According to The Telegraph, the club are certain on allowing him to leave his £37.8million buy-out clause. It's understood that a loan move isn't favoured by Chelsea meaning only a permanent switch is the only likely option right now.

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Following news of Osimhen's latest decision, Chelsea's preference on Lukaku could help get a double deal move. Both players want to leave their current clubs and despite there being a lack of excitement between the two players, both teams will view the moves as a success.

The imminent signing of Samu Omorodion means Maresca is well-stocked at centre-forward with Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu options. However, should Napoli match Chelsea's valuation of Lukaku, it could put the wheels in motion for Osimhen to move to Stamford Bridge.